The parasitic series resistance of a finFET device can be an issue in addressing the performance of those devices, particularly when the channel length is reduced. Two components of the total parasitic resistance are the contact resistance between the metal contact and the semiconductor fin, and the spreading resistance of the doped region of the semiconductor fin.
Whether one or the other component is dominant may depend on the barrier height presented by the metal/semiconductor interface. For example, a relatively high barrier height (e.g., 300 meV or more) may result in the total parasitic resistance being dominated by the contact resistance, whereas with a smaller barrier height (on the order of 100 meV or less), the dominant component of the total parasitic resistance may be the spreading resistance.
Parasitic resistance is discussed further, for example, in U.S. Patent Publication numbers 2006/0202266 and 2009/0166742, the disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.